If you’re looking for last-minute gifts for your loved ones this Christmas look no further than tickets to Portsmouth Comic Con – International Festival of Comics as more massive names are added to an already stellar line-up.
Marvel and DC heavy hitters JM De Matteis and Liam Sharp will join the likes of Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart and The Etherington Brothers in Portsmouth on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May, in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated cons in the UK in 2019.
Making his way to the UK for the first time in over twenty years is veteran writer of Amercian comics, JM De Matteis, who started his career in the late 1970s writing horror stories for DC, leading to a long stint at Marvel on The Defenders, Captain America and Marvel Team-Up. He was also the writer and creator of Epic’s acclaimed Moonshadow series, with artist Jon Jay Muth, which was later republished and completed at DC under their Vertigo imprint.
De Matteis returned to DC as the writer of Justice League International with plotter Keith Giffen and later went back to Marvel in 1991 to write Spectacular Spider-Man. His CV is one of the most impressive of any modern comic writer and has also written for TV and animation, most recently writing Constantine: City Of Demons for Warner Bros.
Liam Sharp is a British comic artist and writer, who began his career as an apprentice to legendary British comic artist Don Lawrence, cutting his teeth working for 2000AD where he was quickly noticed, before moving onto Marvel UK where he drew the top-selling title Deaths’s Head II. From there, he drew books like Uncanny X-Men, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and Man-Thing with writer DeMatteis.
He set up his own publishing company Mam Tor in 2004, which published a number of books and graphic novels. In recent years, he has returned to DC to draw a well-regarded run of Wonder Woman with writer Greg Rucka. He also wrote and drew The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman, a six-issue series which came out this year – and is currently the artist on DC’s hot The Green Lantern series, with legendary Scottish writer Grant Morrison.
Portsmouth Comic Con has also announced its first guest of the screen, Clem So, who has worked on over 30 major feature films to date including many of the Star Wars franchise, Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy, James Bond’s Spectre, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. He has also appeared in numerous TV shows including Doctor Who and Sherlock.
The Con’s event partner, Go Geek Events, have added an interactive and fan-focused twist to the event and have recently announced a host of guest cosplayers including The Joker, Captain America and The Mandalorian.
With a special emphasis on the 80th anniversary of Batman and because it is Star Wars weekend, a full programme of panels, displays, workshops, exhibitions and entertainment is also being planned for the Con, including VR, motion capture, robots and retro gaming, along with an even bigger Comic City of comics, art, prints, crafts, toys, collectables and merch.
Tickets with an Early Bird discount are available until end of February, after which time the prices will rise. A sell out event in 2018, people are advised to book early to avoid disappointment at www.portsmouthcomiccon.com or 0844 847 2362 (calls cost 7p per minute + phone company access charge).
• For further announcements and to buy tickets and sign up online to receive e-newsletters, visit portsmouthcomiccon.com | Follow @PortsmouthComicCon on Facebook or Twitter
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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